Poblano Sauce
After meeting up with my friend over dinner at El Vez in New York, I could not stop raving about their crab enchiladas (poblano crema, cherry tomatoes, cotija cheese, crema & cilantro). What really made the dish stand out to me was the poblano crema, in which the enchilada was bathing in. It’s this creamy and refreshing green sauce, and is just the right amount of “spice-y” (perfect for my fellow spice-averse friends) to make it comforting. It’s one of those things that you can probably add to anything (i.e. avocado toast, fish/shrimp tacos, salads, etc.) and it would still taste good.
After making it a point to go back to El Vez another 3 times in the next 2 months, I wondered if this was something I could also make at home. I played around with the usual ingredients in enchilada sauce and came up with this recipe:
Ingredients:
2 poblano peppers
1 avocado
1 cup of sour cream or Mexican crema
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic
1 lime, juiced
Salt and pepper for taste
Instructions:
Preheat the oven at 425°F, place the poblano peppers on a baking sheet (cut in half, and face-down) and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the skin becomes charred and even.
Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Peel off the skin, remove seeds (or keep them in, if you like spicy), and loosely chop peppers.
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, cook until the onions are caramelized. Then add the chicken broth and heavy cream and bring to a boil.
Add poblano peppers and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Transfer to a blender, and blend well with avocados, sour cream, cilantro, and salt & pepper.
*Add extra sour cream and lime juice for taste*